Combine colored pencils and markers to create a realistic drawing of a piece of candy.

Learn how to draw a realistic nose in colored pencils in this video tutorial.

Learn how to draw with colored pencils in this video that features a drawing of a sea turtle.

Discover how to sharpen a colored pencil to a nice, fine point! Learn how to prevent your Prismacolor colored pencils from breaking.

Watch and learn how to create the illusion of reflective and transparent marbles in this full length video demonstration.

An introduction to “The Colored Pencil Course” and a look at the materials that will be used.

Use colored pencils and markers to create an illustration of a beetle in this lesson.

Learn how to apply and activate watercolor pencils in this second part of a two-part series.

Learn how to apply and activate watercolor pencils in this first of a two-part series.

stippling – Stippling involves placing lots of tiny dots on your paper. The dots can be close together, far apart, or anywhere in between! Practice stippling by drawing dots that are close together and also by drawing dots that have more distance between them. Also, notice the difference between dots made when the pencil is sharp vs. when the pencil point is dull. Stippling is a great way to add some interesting texture to a drawing.

Learn how to draw a portrait with colored pencils in this video tutorial. Two full length videos.

Learn how to layer colors to draw a realistic eye in this tutorial and step by step.

Learn a layering approach to drawing landscapes with colored pencils on textured paper in this module.

For this colored pencil instruction, I used Prismacolor Colored Pencils (this links to Blick Art Materials, and if you make a purchase I get a small commission that helps support this site). These are my favorite brand of colored pencils because they are waxy and full of pigment. This allows them to create color that is so rich and luscious that your drawings actually resemble paintings! All of the drawings that you see on the right and left hand side of this page were created using Prismacolors.

Learn how creating a tiny drawing can have a huge impact on your drawing skill and mastery of the medium.

Explore five techniques and tools for blending colored pencils.

Learn how draw with Prismacolor Art Stix in this recorded Live Lesson.

A look at combining colored pencils and Neocolor II wax pastels to create a realistic drawing.

Although I prefer Prismas, you can use any brand of colored pencil when following this colored pencil instruction. The techniques are totally the same!

Learn basic colored pencils techniques in this free video tutorial.

Learn how to use Polychromos colored pencils by Faber-Castell in this demonstration that features excerpts from a 2 hour tutorial.

Learn how to use basic color theory with colored pencils in this module from “The Colored Pencil Course”.

Mix dark skin tones to complete a colored pencil portrait in these videos. Two full length videos.

Learn how to draw glass with colored pencils in this video drawing tutorial.

Learn two techniques for transferring images to a drawing surface for finishing with colored pencils.

Learn how to combine tempera paint and colored pencils in this demonstration that features creating an image of an eye from imagination.

12 colored pencil drawing tips that you can apply to your drawings immediately.

back and forth stroke – The back and forth stroke is probably the most common of all the colored pencil techniques. This is probably how you drew with crayons as a kid! Basically, you just put your pencil on the paper and draw in a continuous back and forth motion, without lifting your pencil off of the paper. This is a good way to fill different areas of your drawing with a lot of solid color.

Realistic Drawing of a Cupcake with Colored Pencils and Neocolor II

A four part video series on drawing a still life with Inktense pencils.

Learn how to combine watercolor with colored pencils in this first part of a two-part series.

Learn how to draw a portrait with colored pencils in this video tutorial featuring excerpts from two 1 hour live lessons.

A look at drawing with Ariana’s Art colored pencils. A realistic drawing of a crushed can is completed.

Learn how to draw a realistic marble with colored pencils in this lesson. Patiently layer and burnish colored pencil applications.

Learn how to create successful compositions in this course module.

Learn how to use Inktense pencils in this recorded Live Lesson.

Step 1- Draw a light outline of an apple with any graphite pencil. It should be a fairly easy outline considering the subject. Step 2- I want my darkest tones to be laid down first. It will give me a base to compare other tones to.

I am using “olive green” for this area. Throughout this entire tutorial I am using the circulism method of shading. If you’d like to know more about this method refer to my circulism tutorial. Step 3- The olive green color is not dark enough so I go over it with sepia.

Step 4- I work to the left of my dark area but make sure that everything is lighter than this. I am using olive green again. There will be two highlights in this area so I shade around them. Step 5- My highlights are going to be very subtle so I carefully shade them in with olive green making sure that they stay lighter than the surrounding area.

After that, I move down to the bottom of the apple still using olive green. Areas that need to be darker than the olive green recieve sepia overtop. I want my dark areas to transition into light in the next few steps.

My lighter areas are going to be colored with some browns. I start these areas with light umber. Step 6- I move back up to the upper part of the apple. I am going to put another subtle highlight above the other two.

This time I use rosy beige for the highlight. Above that highlight will be another small one. This one I color with french grey 20%. Step 7- At the top left edge of the apple I want it to be brownish so I use light umber.

At this point I start transitioning my darks into lighter colors. I use limepeal and light umber for these areas. I want there to be some highlights around the crown of the apple. I use yellow ochre for these.

Step 8- I put another subtle highlight in the lower left part of the apple. I use french grey 20% for this. More transitioning in this area from dark to light. Step 9- In the right center part of the apple I want it to be a warm color just to give the drawing some color variety.

I apply rosy beige to this area but more colors will be layered on top later on. Step 10- As I mentioned earlier I want my lighter, right side to have alot of brown colors. I transition from my dark area into light with burnt ochre and layer a little limepeel on top.

I lay down sand color on the upper right edge. Step 11- I continue working on filling in the rest of the apple. For the reddish area I’ve used a combination of henna and pink. Be careful with pink. It’s easy to over-do it.

For the upper part of the apple I used limepeel with some light umber layers in certain areas. I want a brilliant white highlight on the upper right part of the apple so I shade around this area. Make sure to keep this highlight very clean.

Step 12- More layers of light umber are added in the brownish areas. There is a tool made by Prismacolor called a colorless blender. It’s basically a pencil that applies no color or tone and doesn’t absorb any either.

I am using this tool to blend the colors together. Compare this picture to step 11 and you will notice it’s a lot smoother and polished looking. After the colors are blended I start on the stem. I use tuscan red and dark umber.

Step 13- I finish working on the crown of the apple and blending the colors with my colorless blender. Step 14- This drawing is very plain looking at this point so I am adding a background. Burnt ochre is applied using circulism again.

Make sure your color is consistent all the way to the edges of the apple. Step 15- I have covered the whole wall with burnt ochre. Where my table surface meets the wall, I make that area darker with dark umber.

Step 16- Again, using my colorless blender, I blend all the color together. At the upper right corner I leave the wall unblended because it gives the wall a texture and suggests a light source. Step 17- I start on the table surface.

I apply burnt ochre but not quite as dark as the background wall. I am doing a reflection on the table also. Just basically draw the apple upside down for this reflection. The dark part of the apple is on the left side so the darker part of the reflection should be on the left also.

Step 18- The drawing is finished. From start to finish this took me probably about 7 or 8 hours. I hope this tutorial has helped you in some way or another. I can explain how I do things all day but the basic idea of drawing is to just understand how tones flow and to train your eye to see what others don’t see.

These colored pencil techniques cover the 5 main ways that you make marks with colored pencils: stippling, hatching, cross-hatching, back and forth stroke, and scumbling. You can see examples of these 5 techniques on the left!

If you make a purchase via the links below I receive a small commission, which helps support this site.

Learn how to mix dark skin tones using four colors in this tutorial that features excerpts from a 2 hour live demonstration.

scumbling – Scumbling is another technique you probably used as a kid without even knowing that it had a name! Scumbling involves making continuous circular marks on your paper, without lifting your pencil. This is another good way to fill in different areas with lots of color.

A five-part lesson series on drawing a landscape with Polychromos colored pencils.

Learn how to draw with white media on black paper in this drawing lesson.

The middle ground and foreground are completed in this conclusion to a landscape drawing that was started in Module 11.

Learn how to create the illusion of texture in a colored pencil drawing in this module.

index >drawing tutorials >colored pencil drawing tutorial Colored Pencil Drawing Tutorial- How to Draw a Green Apple For this tutorial I will show you how to draw a green apple with colored pencil in the style of realism.

When most people hear “green apple”, they assume that the majority of color will be green. Those people are wrong. There will be a few greens but there will also be a lot of neutral browns, yellows, greys, and warmer redish tones as well.

Throughout this tutorial I will refer to pencil colors. Prismacolor Colored Pencils I buy all of my supplies from Blick Art Materials Buying your stuff from that link helps me keep adding to this site.

Learn how to draw eyes with colored pencils in this first part of a series on portrait drawing.

Watch and learn how to draw an orchid with colored pencils in this two part tutorial.

Learn how to break complex objects like a rose into easy to draw steps and finish with colored pencils in this video tutorial.

A seven part video series on drawing a still life with colored pencils.

Learn how to draw a tiger with oil-based colored pencils in this lesson.

Learn colored pencil drawing techniques and how to draw an eye and an apple.

Colored Pencil Course 19 – Watercolor and Colored Pencils – Part 2

Learn how to draw a realistic mouth with colored pencils in this drawing tutorial (2 Lessons).

This colored pencil instruction will teach you some basic colored pencil techniques that will have you creating fabulous colored pencil art in no time!

Layering over watercolor washes, the strawberry is completed in this second part of a two-part series.

These 5 colored pencil drawing techniques form the basis for any colored pencil work that you will do. You can use each of these techniques alone or in various combinations to create some really interesting effects!

Learn how to draw realistic cat eyes with colored pencils. Layer colored pencil applications on Stonehenge paper to develop a range of value and realistic textures.

Create the illusion of the form of the face with colored pencils in this 4th part of a series.

cross-hatching – Cross-hatching involves drawing a series of parallel lines (hatching) and then drawing another series of parallel lines going in another direction on top of the first set of lines. This is a great way to create shading in a drawing. You can create some interesting textures through cross-hatching.

hatching – Hatching involves drawing a series of parallel lines. These lines all go in the same direction. The lines can be close together, far apart, or any variation in between. The pencil is lifted from the paper after each line and then placed down again to create a new line.

Learn how to use colored pencils to draw a realistic tree frog in this full length video.

A five part video series on drawing/painting a rose with watercolor pencils.

These basic colored pencil techniques form the foundation for any type of colored pencil art that you would like to create.

The basics of drawing with colored pencils including the “5 do’s for better hues”.

Learn how to create a realistic drawing of cherries with markers and colored pencils in this mixed media drawing lesson. Create an underpainting with marker applications before layering colored pencils over the top.

Learn how to burnish colored pencils using a variety of techniques to create an image that resembles a painting.